Educational records

Rabstown National School,Co. Tyrone, 1910

PRONI Reference: D1422/B/23/18

Nowhere is the wide provenance of PRONI's records more evident than in its range of holdings of educational records. This includes material deposited by government departments, local authorities, universities, different types of schools and private individuals. PRONI holds thousands of registers for national schools and these give such information as: the name, date of birth and date of entry for each pupil, the occupation and address of parents, the child's religion, and details of attendance and academic progress, all of which makes these records an unusual substitute for the nineteenth century census returns which were pulped during the First World War.

PRONI also holds the files of the Ministry of Education, 1920-66, which embrace a wide range of topics, and the records of the Local Authorities which reflect the increasing role of local government in formulating education policy after the local government reforms of 1899.

PRONI also holds the records of many prominent individuals - educationalists, church leaders, politicians and academics - who took an active role in the development of education in Ireland. These include the records of Thomas, Lord O'Hagan, Lord Chancellor of Ireland who played a leading part in all levels of Irish education during the latter half of the nineteenth century.